Remote control for latches and locks



. H.H. RAYMOND REMOTE CONTROL FOR LATGHES AND LOCKS' Nov. 19, 1940.

'4 Sheets-Sh e et 1 Filed June 15, 1 938 -wul P ATTORNEYS 1 Nov. 19, 1940, H. H. RAYMOND REMOTE CONTROL FOR LATCH ES AND LOCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1938 l2 INVENTOR,

2 h Fyniud ATTORNEYS H. H. RAYMOND REMOTE CONTROL FOR LATCHES AND LOCKS Nov, 19, 1940.

Filed Jun 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 LTHHM I h-H INVENTOR .6. Wayne )0 Y %:rare

ATTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1940.

I Filed June 15, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 6 9 zoom/a BUTTON J i! -.'-(l l5 I as/1 51/770 co/vreoz mj LH/ RH. FRONT 000 h FfioA/r 000/? 4476' R g; AATC/l I 35' I V {UL 7 I LOCK J? inn/r I 29 I k 26 LH. RH. #54,? 000/? REAR 000 LATCH 1 v L/QTCH 30 V 7" h INVENTOR Hfl ct 'nwymano" H.- H. RAYMOND 2,222,553

, ATTORNEYS Patented Novr 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT omen 2,222,553 v, REMOTE don'mor. Fon; LATCHES AND LOCKS Horace H. Raymond, Berlin, Conn, assignor Eagle Lock- Company, Terryville, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Q Application June 15. 1938. Serial No. 213,148

6 Claims.

. enclosures where control from a remote point is desirable.

In describing the invention in more detail, reference is made particularly to the doors of automobiles including pleasure vehicles, taxicabs, trucks and the like. Such vehicles have usually one or more doors provided with latches and locking means for thelatches which are controlled individually by handles provided on the exteriorand interior of the doors. The handles commonly project on the outside of the doors and have been a source of numerous accidents due tocatching of the clothing of passengers or persons outside the vehicle by the projecting handles.

result of the ordinary construction of vehicle doors is that passengers cannot be protected adequately.- Children may lease the latches and fall from the vehicle, and holdups and robberies have frequently occurred owing to the possibility of opening the doors from the exterior of the'vehicle. Furthermore, the numerous projecting handles on the interior of the vehicle are a frequent cause of injury to passengers.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide forthe remote control 'of doors and similar closures so that the latches of such doors may be released at will and selectively from a remote point.

Another object of the invention is the provision of locking means controlled at a relatively remote point from the doors or other closures, whereby release of the latches is prevented except through the operation of the controlling means.

Another object of the invention is the elimination of projecting door handles, both on the inside and'outside of the vehicle .and of the. elaborate hardware and mechanism which is associated with such handles. I

Another object of the invention is the provision of door latching and locking means which permits more adequate streamlining of vehicles and especially the avoidance of projecting v Another difiiculty which arises as a inadvertently re- This invention relates to remote control of I Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood .by

reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is an elevation partially in section illustrating the-pillar and portions of the adjacent doors of the vehicle with the mechanism which is disposed within the pillar and one of the cooperating latches;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3'3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, illustrating the latch and controlling device therefor. 4

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section illustrating the latching mechanism;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the controlpanel adapted to be disposed adjacent the driver's seat;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the mechanical releasing unit for the left-hand doors;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a section on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 11

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 illustrating the release unit for the right-hand door;., I

Fig. 14 is an enlarged section on the line l4l4 ofFig.1; and

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustratingthe electrical connections to permit controlof the several door latches.

The invention will bedescribed more particularly with reference to a. vehicle having the usual four doors of .a standard sedan. It may be applied similarly, however, to vehicles having fewer doors, such as the two-door sedan, coupe,

truck cab and the like. As already indicated, the invention may be applied also to doors or. closures which are not related to vehicles.

-In carrying out the invention, the doors are provided with latches hereinafter more fully described. The latch mechanisms are selectively controlled from a central point by electromagnetic devices energized at will from a source. of current such as the battery of the car. Pro'-' vision is made also for preventing the operation of the latches by electromagnetic locking devices which'may be energized likewise from a central point. To permit release of the doors in the event of failure of the current, manually operable releasing devices are provided, such devices being so disposed that they are not likely to be operated inadvertently. Furthermore, the manual devices are locked when the electrical locking control is in operation. Consequently, the doors can be released manually only when the operator of the vehicle has released the looks, or in the event of failure of current. 'With thearrangement as described, it is possible for the driver of the vehicle to efiectively lock all of the doors thereof. He may nevertheless, by a simpler movement, release the locks and thereafter he may release selectively and individually the latches of any of the doors. When the latches are thus released, the doors spring open sufficiently to permit further opening for ingress or egress. When the doors are again closed, the latches become effective and the driver may then look the doors again so that no onemay leave or enter the vehicle until the locks are 'again released. Provision is made at the forward right-hand door for the usual look, so that the driver may secure the vehicle when it is parked and left unattended.

A handle is provided on the forward right-hand door ,to permit entrance to the vehicle when the manual lock is released. The handle is disposed in a depression so that it does not project from the side of the vehicle. No door handles are provided on the outside of the three remaining doors. Onthe inside, cords or soft fabric handles may be provided to facilitate closing the doors from the interior of the vehicle. The usual inside metal handles are eliminated. Thus, possible injury to passengers, or to persons outside the vehicle by contact with door handles is avoided, the streamlining is improved, persons within the vehicle "are prevented from falling therefrom through the'inadvertent opening of doors and are protected from persons outside the vehicle seeking the unauthorized entrance thereof.

The invention will be more easily comprehended by reference first to the diagram,-Fig. 15, in which 5 indicates the source of current such as the usual battery of an automobile. One side of the battery is grounded at 5 in the usual manner. The other side is connected by a conductor 1 to a manually operable switch 8 which is adapted to engage either of the switch points 9 and III. The switch point 9 is connected by a conductor II to tilting switch bars I2'and l3 disposed on the panel l4 (Fig. 6), together with the switch handle I5 which is connected to the switch 8. The panel may be disposed at any convenient point adjacent the driver's seat so that it is readily accessible. The switch bars l2 and 13 are adapted to be depressed to engage switch points I5, I 5, l1 and I 9 selectively to release the latch bolts of the respective doors. The switch point I6 is connected by a conductor 19 to an electromagnet 20 and thence to ground 2| to control the right-hand door latch bolt. The switch point, 15 is connected by conductor 22 to the electromagnet 23 and thence to ground 24 to control the left-hand front door latch bolt. The switch point I! is connected by a conductor 25 to electromagnet 26 and thence to ground 21 to control the right-hand rear door latch bolt, and the switch point I1 is connected by a conductor 28 to electromagnet 29 and thence to ground 30 to control the left-hand rear door latch bolt. The mechanism ail'ected by such control will be described later.

To look the latch bolts and thereby prevent release thereof, the switch point I is connected by a conductor and branch conductors 32 and 33 to electromagnets 34 and 35 disposed in the lustrated in detail in Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive.

pillars adjacent the latching mechanism and thence to grounds 36 and 31. The electrical cirrcuits are thus completed to permit the selective releasingof the several door latches and the looking thereof against release at the will of the driver of the vehicle.

The mechanism embodied in the panel 14 is ii- The panel is provided with an insulating plate 31 supported on the posts 99. The insulating plate carries the switch points 9, I9, l5, l6, I1 and [8. The switch handle I is supported for rotary movement to permit the switch arm 9 to engage either of the points 9 and 19, as previously described. 'The bars Hand 13 are supported by springs 99 so that they may be tilted to engage either of their respective switch points, thus permitting closure of the respective circuits.

Referring to Fig. 4, each of the doors is provided with a keeper 40 secured thereto by screws 4| and projecting so as to engage a latch bolt 42 pivoted at 43 and provided with a cam-faced projection 44 and an arm 45 which is adapted to rest in spaced relation to the poles of the electromagnet 20 which is mounted in the pillar adjacent the edge of the door. A dog or catch 41 is pivoted at 49 and is adapted to engage the tall of the arm 45 to hold the latch bolt in the position indicated in Fig. 4", so that the door is held in closed position. A bell crank arm 49 is connected to the dog or catch 41' which is normally held by a spring 50 in the position indicated in Fig. 4 when the door is closed.

The arm 45 is of magnetic material. The dog or catch 41 is non-magnetic to prevent short circuiting of the magnetic flux, but the bell crank arm 49 is of magnetic material. I that the air gap is much greater between the poles of the electromagnet 29 in the case of the arm 49 than in respect to the arm 45. The

force exerted by the electromagnet is correspondingly less in attracting the arm 49. When the electromagnet 29 is energized, the pull exerted on the arm 45.is sufllcient to overcome theforce exerted by the door through the keeper, to an extent sutlicient to relieve pressure on the dog or catch 41. At the same time, the bell crank arm 49 tends to approach the poles of the electromagnet and suflicient force is exerted to'lift the dog or catch 41 against the spring 50. When the circuit is again opened, the pull of the elecing the arm into the position indicated in Fig. 4.

The door may be closed and latched again by simply moving it to the closed position, whereupon the keeper 40 again engages the latch bolt 42, the tail of the arm 45 being in turn engaged by' the dog or catch 41, thus holding the door in closed position. It will be understood that the several doors controlled by the electromagnets 23,

29 and 29 are similarly held and released by closing the respective circuits through the controlling switch points.

In the event that current fails, it is necessary to provide manual means for releasing the doors. Such manual means is provided in the pillars It will be noted,

at the opposite sides of the vehicle adjacent the doors. Control isefiected through a panel disposed on the outsidev ofthe pillar and having a fixed abutment 52 thereon and two movable buttons 53 and 54 to permit actuation of the releasing mechanism for the respective adjacent 53 and 54. The bars 51 are normally held in their lower. position by springs 59, but maybe lifted against the tension of the springs by actuating buttons 53 and 54. Notches 60 are provided in the bars 51' to engage the tails 6| of e the keepers 41, as indicated in Fig. 4. Thus,-by

lifting either of the buttons 53 or 54, the corresponding latch bolt may be released so that the door may be opened independently of the electrical controlling mechanism for the latches.

To effect the locking of the doors against release by electrical or manual control, electromagnets 34 and 35 are supported in frames 63 on v the plates 55. These electromagnets are connected to the electrical control circuit as previously described. When energized by movement of the switch arm 8 to the switchpoint ill, the

electromagnets attract arms 64- pivotally supported in the frame'63, and normally resting in the position indicated in Fig. 11. When the .arms 64 are attracted by the electromagnets 34 and 35, the arms move into position so' as to block movement of the members 58 so that the bars 5'! can no longer be raised manually. When the switch arm 8 is engaged with the'switch point 10, the circuits to the several electromagnets 20, 23, 26 and 29 are dead, and consequently" the doors cannot be released.

As illustrated in 'Figs. 2 and 13, one of the bars 51 is provided with an extension 65, which is adapted tovengage a bell crank 66 pivoted at doors. The mechanism is more clearly shown in 61 and provided with a projecting pin 58. This -is designed to permit the control of the latch structure of the forward right-hand door by the externally disposed handle 69, thus permittingentrance to the vehicle when the operator has left it temporarily. The handle 69 is pivoted at 10 and is practically flush with the exterior of the door, a recess H being provided so that the fingers maybe disposed rearwardly of the handle. The handle is adapted to turn on its pivot 10 and is provided with aprojecting member 12 which engages the pin 68. When the pin 68 is thus actuated, the bell crank 65 is turned, thus lifting the corresponding bar 51 and releasing the latch bolt of the door so that it may be opened. The usual cylinder lock 13 is mounted in the door and is adapted to be actuated by a key (not shown). The lock carries a projecting pin 14 having a member 15 thereon which, in looking position, is behind the member 12. When the door is thus locked, the handle 69 cannot be turned upon'its pivot and consequently the door cannot be released. When the key is inserted and the lock is turned, the member 15 is moved out of thepath of the member 12, thus permitting actuation of the handle 69.

Each of the doors may be provided, as indicated in Fig. 14, with any suitable tension device, for

example a plunger 16 actuated by a spring which, when the latch is released, will move the door outwardly on its hinge l8 sufliciently to perquent freedom from rattles. I The doors may be provided, moreover, with the usual bumpers'or other rattle-preventing devices.

With the mechanism as described, the desired,

results ashereinbefore outlined are readily attained. The vehicle may be parked and; locked in the usual Way and the operatormay enter the vehicle through the right-hand front .door 'as is customary. In the vehicle, the operator may release any ofthe doors selectively, either through the electrically controlled mechanism or manually. Dual control is providedjor each of g the doors, and either electrical or manual control can be employed as may be desired to release the latches. look all the doors from the inside, he may effect this result by a single operation of, the switch locked in the manner described, children cannot inadvertently fall fromthe vehicle, and persons' riding therein cannot leave it except at the will of the operator.

If the operator desires to Various changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts, and particularly the details thereof, and numerous modifications may be utilized in applying the invention to vehicles and especially in adapting it for controlling the latch mechanisms of doors and other closures not associated with vehicles.

I claim:

l. A latch mechanism comprising a movable latching means, movable means operative upon said latching means to restrain movement thereof to unlatched position, and means associated with both said means adapted to so control the movement of both said means that the effective restraining action of-said operative means is reduced prior to actual release of said latching means.

2. A latch mechanism comprising a movable latching means, movable means operative upon said latching means to restrain movement thereof to unlatched position, and electromagnetic means effective upon both said means adapted to so control the movement of bothsaid means tli'at the effective restraining action of said operative means is reduced prior to actual release of said latching means.

3. A latching mechanism comprising a bolt element, a catch for the bolt element, and electromagnetic means'adapted to attract the bolt element, said electromagnetic means also being adapted simultaneously to attract the catch to withdraw the same from the bolt element.

4. A latch mechanism for doors which are maintained closed under tension comprising movable latching means against which the tension under which the door is maintained closed is effective, movable means operative uponsaid' latching means to restrain movement to un-,

latched position, and means associated with both of said means adapted to. so control the movement of both said means that the effective'restraining action of said operative means is reduced'prior to actual means.

5. A latch mechanism for doors which are rn-s ntained closed under tension comprising movablelatching'means' against which thetenrelease of said latching sion under which the door is maintained closed is effective, movable meansoperative upon said latching means to restrain movement to unlatched position, and electromagnetic means effective upon both of said means adapted, when energized, to so control the movement of both of said means that the effective restraining action of the means operative upon the latch to restrain movement thereof to unlatched position is reduced 'prior to actual release of said latching means.

6. A latch mechanism for a door which is maintained closed under tension" comprising a latch bolt against which the tension under which the door is maintained closed is effective and which tends to move the latch bolt to unlatched position, a catch for said latch bolt, electromagnetic means adapted, when energized, to attract the catch to withdraw it from the latch bolt and simultaneously exert an attractive force on the latch bolt in opposition to the force tending to move the latch'bolt to unlatched position.

HORACE H. RAYMOND. 

